A day before a trust vote was to be held in the Uttarakhand assembly in view of the Congress Government having lost its majority, President’s rule was imposed in the State. It was the Congress ruling at the centre which indulged in this practice frequently. The recent decision clashes with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to “ co-operative federalism”. Besides, more power is being progressively vested in the states. The Uttarakhand decision goes against the trend. The contention of the centre is that the Harish Rawat Government has lost its majority and so could not continue. But the claim has to be tested on the floor of the assembly.
Uttarakhand Governor K.K.Paul had set March 28 as the date for the trust vote. It is hard to understand why he suddenly changed his mind and asked for imposition of Article 356 in Uttarakhand. Of course, the test vote would have caused chaos in the assembly. But there was no evidence of a possible breakdown.
The Uttarakhand decision comes in the wake of the imposition of President’s rule in Arunachal Pradesh. There is a breakdown between the BJP and the Congress at the centre. The ruling party does not have a majority in the Rajya Sabha. Important legislation has to be put through. Unnecessary confrontation between the BJP and the Congress is far from welcome in these circumstances. Former Chief Minister Harish Rawat moving the Uttarakhand High Court and parading MLAs to prove majority were mere gestures.